| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.78 |
| Liaison | Julia Carlow |
| Submission Date | May 6, 2021 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
American University of Sharjah
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Julia
Carlow Acting Head of Sustainability Sustainability |
Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
Name of the student educators program:
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
Established in 2018 at AUS, the EcoRep Program recruits four students every year to promote sustainable change on campus. These are paid student worker positions. AUS EcoReps educate and work with their student peers on issues such as waste reduction, energy conservation, diversity and tolerance. Through guest speakers, events and outings, EcoReps deepen their own understanding of their sustainable campus and become better advocates for environmental action. They host both in-person and virtual events and activities over the course of the academic year. These include:
- EcoRep Round Table Discussions (monthly open-mic session; previous topics included: responsible consumerism, eco fashion, sustainable foods, careers in sustainability, waste-not, how to be eco-friendly in a pandemic)
- EcoRep Movie Nights (twice per semester with changing focus topics, previous movies included: "The Minimalists", "Bag It", "Merchants of Doubt", This Changes Everything")
- EcoRep Video Series (EcoReps produce one video per semester about how to be more sustainable on campus and beyond. These videos are broadcasted across various AUS social media platforms to reach all students. Previous videos were themed around "How to incorporate sustainability in your daily life at AUS", "How to go plastic free", "How to reduce waste in the Student Center", "How to make your own produce bag", " TogetherApart - How to stay connected during COVID19"
- EcoRep Sustainability Event (once per semester, EcoReps organize an interactive event such as a sustainable treasure hunt, sustainability challenge, competition, or quiz night where interdisciplinary teams compete against each other for cash prizes and giveaways. Examples include "Inter-college plastic bottle collection", "Trashtag Challenge", "Inter-dorm recycling challenge")
-EcoReps commit to participate in the weekly AUS Farmers market to help sell produce to peers while educating them on the benefits of locally sourced, organic and/or hydroponically grown produce.
-EcoReps contribute to AUS Sustainability's Instagram account
-EcoReps host a dedicated podcast called "EcoTalks - We Want Answers"
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
AUS Sustainability sends a call for EcoRep applications to all registered students at least once per year. Students must send their latest CV and a letter of motivation to apply. All applications go through a multi-layered review process by AUS Sustainability staff members. Finalists are interviewed individually and have to answer the following questions:
- Why are you interested in working with AUS Sustainability?
- What is the value you can add to the EcoRep team?
- What are some examples of activities or competitions you would like to implement as an EcoRep and who would be the key stakeholders?
- Please tell us about a project you have worked on for school or some other organization that you are particularly proud of.
- As an Eco Rep you will work in a group with 3 other students. Please tell us about some experiences that you have had working with others. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a team member?
- What is your experience with social media, graphic design, and video making?
When making a final selection, AUS Sustainability staff members aim to have a good representation of the entire AUS student population in the EcoRep team, meaning a balanced representation of gender, nationalities and the four colleges at AUS.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
EcoReps receive an initial training session at the beginning of their term facilitated by AUS Sustainability staff and previous EcoReps. There also is a detailed EcoRep guide which details
- The Role of an EcoRep
- Communication Guidelines
- How to Get Paid
- A list of Resources and Links (such as AASHE CONNECT, EEG, THE Impact Ranking)
- Behavior Change & Social Marketing Basics
- The corner stones of Peer Education
- How to host successful events
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):
- All EcoReps are paid positions
- EcoReps have a an annual budget to host events
- AUS Sustainability Staff spends 50% of their time guiding and coordinating with EcoReps
- EcoReps have to attend one formal team meeting with AUS Sustainability staff per week to report on project progress and ask questions
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):
A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.